Moments in Time
by AyLee Cambell
Summary: Moments in time in the Relationship between Rachel and Puck. Slightly future fic. Chapter 5: BBQ, Pool, and Friends
1. Belief

Title: Belief

Author: AyLee Cambell

Pairing: Puck/Rachel - I seriously love this pairing!

Rating: T

Warnings: Slight spoilers for episodes aired and for episode 8 - mash up. Not beta'd

Summary: She's the only one who has ever believed in him. Puck's thoughts on how they ended up where they are. Future fic. (Just a few months)

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He's never had anyone not related to him believe in him. Everyone thinks he's just some dumb loser. Which is probably why he picked on everyone until he was cool and popular, until they were all afraid to say things like that to his face.

Still, he hears the whispers and knows they all think it. Lima Loser, dumb jock, dead end life, and going nowhere. It hurts and he's almost come to accept it, even if he wants more from life. If everyone else can see his future then why can't he? Everyone would laugh if they knew any of his hopes or ideas. They would probably all say they were impossible too. Something not for him.

So when Rachel Berry, the one person in this town he _knows_, just freaking _**knows**_, is going to get out and make something of herself. When she looks at him and tells him she believes in him or that she thinks he's amazing or that he can do whatever he wants to, or that he's smart, well that makes him feel like he can do anything, or that anything is possible, even his dreams.

A year ago he had been throwing slushies in her face and know here they were on her bed, laying together and talking about anything. It's amazing to him that they're here, together, after months of dating and even longer years of avoidance or bullying.

They had been through a lot together, and he was glad that he'd asked her out, even if it had started because he'd been hoping to please his mom. It had changed pretty fast into something else and he would never regret it. Even if he had gotten a few slushies in the face because of it. They were strong together, and could be each other's real self and not worry about anything, it was something he never expected to have with anyone.

Rachel had held him when he cried when Quinn told him she gave their daughter away and refused to tell him anything more. He hadn't even felt like some sissy-gay boy afterwards. She hadn't made him feel bad and didn't tell him any false pitying words, just held him and was there. She's always been there for him, even when it came out he was really the father of Quinn's baby. Sure there had been a few tense moments but she hadn't judged him like everyone else did. She had listened to his side of the story and believed him.

Quinn had said he'd gotten her drunk but that hadn't been true. She'd been drunk before she even saw him. They'd been at the same party that night and he'd been drunk and pissed off, but mostly drunk. It had just happened and he'd known it was a mistake as soon as he woke up and remembered. He didn't like Quinn, the she-bitch of the school. Sure she was hot, but she had been Finn's girl and off limits. Santana had been bad enough, he hadn't been looking for a bitchier replacement.

Having her call him a loser and tell him that he wasn't even good enough to take care of his own mistakes, or his baby, had hurt. He wasn't a deadbeat like his dad, but she had pretty much said he was. He had been mad, and more then a little disgusted with her. She wanted to pretend that his baby was Finn's? he almost would have let her but he wasn't that type of guy, even if everyone believed he was.

So he had joined glee because he wanted to keep an eye on her, maybe prove to her he could be a good dad. He didn't want her, and he was sure she thought he did, but he did want to be in his child's life. Even if it was only in small ways.

So he watched Quinn and Finn, (and did they really have to have matching names? Really? Couldn't they have tried dating someone that didn't make them seem like some demented nursery rhyme?) and he let his best friend believe he was the father.

Sometimes he wanted to hit Finn to see if he could knock some sense into his friend. It's not like he'd damage anything if he couldn't. But then he'd realize that he is letting his best friend believe he's the father of a baby that isn't really his and he realizes that he's a scumbag where Finn's just a little stupid. It's a trade he would almost willingly make.

He wishes he could take that night back. Tell Quinn to go to hell when she asked him to take her home. Wishes that he and Finn were still best friends instead of this unsure half real, half false friendship that they have now. Finn and Quinn are still together, surprisingly. They did break up for a week or two but they got back together quickly enough and now that the baby is gone everything almost seems like normal for them.

Except that now Finn is a little less naïve (he's read almost any sex-ed book he could check out, including sex for dummies.) and Finn gets a little tense anytime some guy looks at Quinn too long. (Or when he's in the room, but like he's going to make that mistake again. There isn't enough alcohol in the world to make him touch that. Especially not when he has Rachel.)

But none of that is the point. The point is that he and Rachel are still together after months of dating, and she believes in him when no one else does and she makes him believe in himself. He's a better person around her. (And most of their school is grateful)

He's pretty sure he's totally in love with her. She could shatter him if she wanted. It scares the crap out of him, and he hasn't told her yet, but he thinks he will soon. Still, he thinks she knows sometimes. When she smiles at him when they're like this, laying on her bed with her head on his chest and him running his fingers through her hair and just talking. Sometimes she'll look at him and he's pretty sure she loves him too.

She could shatter his heart, but he's almost positive she wont. He's willing to take the risk. It's something he's never been willing to risk before, but he's starting to think it's okay. He has a feeling she would never try to purposely hurt him in any way. Just like he'll never try to hurt her, cause he's pretty sure he could shatter her heart too if he wanted to. But he doesn't.

So here they are on her bed and it's more perfect then anything he's ever thought of. He has a girl he loves, who loves him back, and who believes in him. For the first time in a long time he actually believes in himself too. The future may be unknown, but he's sure it's going to rock. He's not going to turn out to be some dumb jock Lima Loser, not with Rachel as his little guiding star (And those are so her words not his, he's not that corny, changed man or not.)

And he has changed. Not just with his vocab, but with other things. His grades are up, he's attending math most days of the week, and he's just generally nicer most of the time. But not too nice, he ain't a pussy.

"Noah?" Rachel asks and he looks down at her.

She's the only one, besides his mom, who is allowed to call him that. Nicer or not, the last guy who called him that regretted it immediately. He's changed, but he hasn't changed that much. He's still Puck. Just with some improvements. (Like the vocab. Blame her, it's so her fault.)

"Yeah?"

"I'm ready." Rachel says, sitting up to look down at him and she's smiling one of _those _smiles. The I-love-you smiles. He can't help but smile back. (and it's probably his dopey I-love-you-too smile but he really can't bring himself to care about how it makes him look.)

"Ready for what?" He asks, trying to think of anyplace they were supposed to be. Nothing is coming to mind. They already had glee practice earlier and her parents are out of town.

Rachel laughs and leans forward and kisses him.

"I'm ready." She says when she pulls back and she gives him a look.

"Really? That ready?" He asks, hoping that she is. He's going to stop thinking in a moment because as much as they have fooled around and done pretty much everything else, they haven't done that last step yet.

"Are you sure?" He's careful to keep his thoughts to himself. He's been trying not to pressure her even though he's been dying for almost forever.

Rachel nods and smiles at him. "I'm positive."

"When?" he asks. He's pretty sure she has some planned out way that she wants to do this, and he's okay with that. It will be her first time, and it should be special. Even if they have done practically everything else.

"Now." She says and smirks just a little.

"Now, now?" He asks shocked and more then just a little turned on.

She just nods and sits back to pull her shirt off. She laughs at the look on his face, and he pulls her to him.

"Right now?" He asks, just to make sure.

Rachel laughs and he's kissing her again. She helps take off his shirt and well, that's when he stops thinking.

(Peace out, suckers.)

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Please Review!


	2. My Girl

So… I've decided to continue. This is all in the same verse, but it's not going to be in order. It's just going to be moments in the verse. So hope you all enjoy!

This fic takes place not too long after they first start dating. Probably within the first to second month.

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"Hey man." Matt said, walking up to him. Puck just nodded and did the required fist bump before turning back to his locker.

"What's up?" He asked, grabbing his math book.

Yes, he was going to his math class. Soon as Rachel found out about his nap time she put a stop to it, and started helping him get caught up in the class. Funnily enough, it was a class neither knew they shared. So spending time with her at least made up for some of it. The look on the teacher's face whenever he came in was also amusing.

He even got to sit next to Rachel. The teacher had protested this at first but soon gave up. No one lasted long against Rachel when she decided something. And she had decided that they were going to sit next to each other. Mostly because he wouldn't even attempt to pay attention otherwise. The teacher had either noticed this or gave up when Rachel gave him his first lecture about why it was a good idea.

Matt shifted on his feet, almost looking nervous for a minute. Puck narrowed his eyes and shut his locker, turning to give the other guy his attention.

"What?" He asked, not liking the feeling he was getting.

"I think some of the guys are planning something. I heard them say something about Rachel but I didn't hear what. I just thought you should know since, well your dating her now." Matt told him.

Most of the school knew that he was dating Rachel now. It had become pretty obvious when they could be seen holding hands, or kissing in the hallway. But some of the school either refused to believe it or was just in denial. He didn't know why, but it was pretty much most of the jocks that couldn't get their heads around the idea of him and Rachel Berry.

Usually he really couldn't care less, but he had thought all of them would be a least smart enough to realize that she was off limits from any pranks or bullying now.

"Who?" He demanded, trying not to snap at Matt. The guy had come to warn him after all.

"Um, Bo and Stan, I think." Matt said and Puck nodded. Both Bo and Stan weren't the brightest of the bunch - though that wasn't saying too much - and neither liked Puck very much. He was younger, smarter, better looking, and was a better athlete then both of them. They probably thought messing with Rachel was a good way to get back at him.

Both were too stupid to realize what he'd do to them if they touched her. They wouldn't get it unless he made it clear to them.

"Do you know when?" He asked, starting to head towards Rachel's locker. She would probably be changing her books out at the moment and he wanted to make sure everything was alright.

He didn't think the two seniors would hurt her physically, but they could get mean. They wouldn't hit her or anything but that didn't stop them from saying things that would hurt her or doing something to humiliate her in front of everyone. He wasn't going to let that happen if he could help it.

Their relationship was still pretty new. And even if it had started because he had wanted to make his mom happy by dating a nice Jewish girl, it had quickly changed. Now he was in the middle of a serious committed relationship and he was barely getting used to it, but he liked it. He liked it a lot and wanted to hold onto it, hold onto Rachel, as long as he possibly could.

And no one got to mess with her.

Seeing a freshmen on the team he reached out and grabbed him, pushing him against the nearest set of lockers.

"What are Stan and Bo planning?" He demanded, glaring at him.

"I-I don't know!" The kid said, his voice squeaking slightly in fear.

"What do you know? Tell me something!" Puck demanded, shaking him just a little.

"It involved that Berry chick! They were heading towards her locker just a few minutes ago! That's all I know." He told him and Puck released him.

The freshmen slunk to the ground and didn't move, just looked up at Puck and Matt with a scared look on his face.

"That Berry chick is my girlfriend. You hear anything involving her, you come to me. Or I'll find you next time. Got it?" Puck said, and smirked when the freshmen nodded.

"Good. Now get away from me." He said and didn't bother to watch the freshmen scramble away.

Puck looked at Matt. "Come on." He said, and started towards Rachel's locker again. He didn't run, but he wasn't taking his time getting there either.

Turning down the hallway he could see what he had been hoping not to see. Rachel was holding her books against her chest, backed against the lockers and both Bo and Stan were towering over her.

One of them reached out and knocked her books out of her hands while the other laughed.

Puck saw red and before he knew it he was had Bo's shirt in his hand and was tossing him backwards. A moment later he was in Stan's face, shoving him back as well.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded, glaring at both.

He could see Matt in the corner of his eye. Matt bent down and picked up Rachel's math book and handed it too her before turning to glare at the other two as well.

"We were just having some fun man. It's not like that Berry chick didn't deserve it." Stan said.

Puck shoved him back a little harder, gripping his shirt and pushing him against the lockers. He looked at Bo for a moment to make sure he was paying attention as well.

"Listen up, jock-straps, that Berry chick? Off limits. You don't touch her, you don't talk to her, you don't even look at her. Rachel Berry is my girl. As in my girlfriend. So you do anything again, and I will kick your asses so hard you wont be able to remember what it felt like not to be in pain. Got it?" He demanded, letting go of Stan's shirt and backing up a step so her could keep both of them in view.

Most guys didn't pick a fight with Puck. He may have been just a sophomore but he was one of the toughest guys in school and not many could take him, or were willing to try.

"But bro, you can't be serious." Bo protested and gestured to Rachel. "She's a freak."

It happened fast. Rachel gasped and Bo fell to the ground. Puck was still standing there, fist still upraised from punching the senior.

"What part of 'she's my girl' didn't you understand? Off limits, _**bro. **_I will kick your ass." He said and dropped his arm as he glared down.

"Puck!" Rachel said, coming up behind him and taking his hand in hers and running her fingers over his knuckles.

"Are you alright?" She asked, looking up at him.

Puck looked away from the two seniors, trusting Matt to let him know if they tried for a cheep shot, and looked down at her. He smirked and pulled her into his arms and backed up in case the two did get it into their stupid minds to attack they wouldn't be in reach.

"I'm fine Rach. Don't worry." He told her and smirked.

Stan helped Bo up and both looked at Puck. Bo had to tilt his head up slightly so the blood from his nose wouldn't run down his face.

"We get it man, she's off limits." Stan said and Bo nodded, groaning when the movement hurt.

"Understood, dude." He said and both walked off. Either to the locker room or to the nurse. He didn't know and didn't care.

Puck looked at Matt. "Thanks for the heads up man." He told him and Matt nodded.

"Anytime. Just looking out for a friend." He said and nodded to both of them before walking away, waving to the other students who had stopped and stared. "Mind your own business people!" Matt said.

Slowly students started walking again, but this time most of them were whispering to each other or running off to tell someone else.

Puck didn't really care, it would probably be better in the long run. This way everyone who didn't know before would know about him and Rachel and would know that messing with her meant messing with him.

He looked down at Rachel, who was still messing with his hand but she paused to look up at him when they were alone.

"Wait." Puck told her, as soon as she opened her mouth.

Pulling her along he led them into an empty classroom. He let go of her and sat on one of the desks and watched her.

"Alright, go." He told her, expecting a lecture.

"While I don't condone violence, and I think violence is never the positive solution to a situation, I understand that adolescent males sometimes only respond to a show of aggression. So I would like to thank you for defending my honor, and for claiming me as your girlfriend in front of everyone. Even if we had already made it clear we were dating." Rachel said and Puck looked at her for a moment, not saying anything.

Rachel sighed. "Normally I don't like violence, but I get that they wouldn't have responded to anything else, so thank you for defending me and not being afraid to say I was your girlfriend." She told him.

Puck grinned at her, and jumped off the desk, coming to stand in front of her.

"That's what I thought you meant." He teased, pulling her into his arms. Leaning down he kissed her and for a moment Rachel kissed him back. Then with a slight gasp she pulled back.

"We're going to be late for math! Come on!" She said, and went to tug him along.

Puck groaned and allowed her to pull him behind her.

"If we make it to class on time I'll let you pick out the movie tonight. Dad and Daddy wont be home until late." She told him, smiling at him.

Puck perked up. Usually 'movie time' was actually make out time - sometimes with singing breaks if it was a musical - and if he picked out a movie she wasn't too fond of then she had no problems being distracted.

"What are we waiting for? We gotta get to class." He said and speed up, tugging her gently along with him.

He had the perfect movie in mind.

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Let me know what you think!


	3. Mash Up

Mash Up

How tonight's episode went in my little verse. Everything is the same, except from the bleachers. That's where it all changes and where this starts.

So, spoilers for Mash-up. If you haven't seen the episode, you might want to watch it first!

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He was watching the guys play football as he sat on the bleachers. He hadn't thought he would choose glee, but when he started towards the locker room and the football field all he could think about was the way Rachel's fingers felt while she cleaned him up or the weight of her when she sat on his leg, or the way her lips felt against his forehead. Then after that he thought about how he felt while he was singing or when he was up on stage with the others and they had everyone watching him and he realized he didn't want to give either of them up, that both of them were new but that they made him feel better then when he was on the football field.

Still, he missed it, missed the feeling of a winning game, or knowing that he was one of the best out there on the team. (Not that that was really saying much.) Knowing that some of the others looked up to him. He would miss the awe and respect he got from the guys.

But, if they could slushy him in the halls then maybe they hadn't really been all that respectful or in awe of him. Maybe that was all a show and wasn't real. But the friends he had reluctantly made in glee, well, they seemed a whole lot more real at the moment. And they hadn't asked him to choose, to pick between the two. They had always accepted that he did both, had accepted him. They could have judged him or held his past actions against him but they hadn't and that meant something.

He still missed football a little, but it would be something he would get used to living without. It wasn't the end of the world. He missed the loss of his popularity and untouchable status a whole lot more than being tackled by a group of guys.

"I hope you didn't give it up for me." Rachel's voice interrupted his thoughts. He didn't look at her as she sat down on the bleachers behind him. The tone of her voice was sending warning bells off in his head and he knew the next few minutes were going to be important.

"I didn't." He told her, knowing that it was what she wanted to hear, even if it wasn't the truth. He hoped that she left it at that and everything went back to being good. Things were working out surprisingly well between the two of them and he hoped that didn't change.

But Rachel didn't let it go, didn't believe it.

"Because I wouldn't want you to give up something you love for something that's so new, something that we aren't sure will work out or not in the long run." She told him.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Puck asked, turning to look at her for a moment. He was shocked by how much he really didn't want that to be happening.

"No, I'm just saying I don't want you to give up football to be with me. Not if it makes you happy. Then you would probably break up with me cause you were miserable or something. I would rather we went through this now then later on when feelings are involved."

The relief in her words made him look away. Taking a moment he gathered up what he was going to say. He wasn't always good with saying things about how he felt, but so far being with Rachel and being his real self had been easier than he had thought it would be. Easier then it had ever been with anyone. It was one of the things that made him want to see where this could go.

He turned to look at her. "Okay, so maybe I gave up football because of you, because of glee. I love football, but it's not the only thing I like to do. I like singing, even if I wouldn't admit that to everyone, and I like you. If I have to give up football to continue both then I will even if it hurts a little. Because in the long run I'm thinking that it's not going to mean as much to what I'll have. Okay? It's worth it, your worth it. Even if you wont let me touch your boobs." He said.

Rachel smiled at him. "Okay." She said and then moved so she was sitting by him. Puck wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.

Taking a deep breath he decided to broach a subject he would rather just ignore, but like she had said, it was better to find out now then later on.

"Do you still like Finn?" He asked and didn't look at her. If she was going to pick Finn over him he didn't want to see

"I used to." Rachel said slowly and he jerked his head to look at her.

"Used to? What changed?" He asked.

"You did." Rachel said then looked up at him. "You let me see you, the real you. And you're beautiful. You have so much potential Noah, and you're afraid to let people see it, but you let me see. Then you chose glee and me over football, even if it meant slushies everyday. How could you not change my mind?" She asked.

Puck leaned forward and kissed her. He couldn't help it. No one had ever said anything like that about him, had ever chosen him over Finn or anyone else. And Rachel just had.

"Puckerman! This isn't your bedroom, knock it off or leave!" Coach Tanaka yelled and the two broke apart.

He smiled down at her, ignoring everyone else, and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

Rachel smiled back and squeezed one of his hands, before looking away for a moment and looking back, her smile gone.

"But - um, but what about Quinn? I see you looking at her. Do you like her?" She asked in a small voice.

He looked away for a moment, his heart sinking. How could he explain it too her without telling her everything or scaring her away?

"It's complicated. I don't like Quinn, not that way. I pretty much think she's a bitch, but she's Finn's girlfriend and she's pregnant and this whole thing is weird. I can't get into it right now, I'm not ready to talk about it. But I want to, I just can't. Not right now." He said and Rachel nodded.

"I understand. I just, I don't want to be someone's second choice. I used to like Finn, but for the wrong reasons and he kept stringing me along and it was horrible. I can't do that again, and I wouldn't do that to anyone else either, so I want you to know that right now I want you to be my boyfriend, not Finn, not anyone else. But I need to know that you feel that way about me too. Otherwise it's not going to work. I just need that to be clear." She told him, looking down before finally looking up at him and biting her lip.

He smiled at her and leaned down so that his forehead could rest against hers.

"I can honestly say that I only want you right now. I don't like Quinn that way, or anyone else. We can make this work Rachel, we just have to give it a chance." He told her then leaned back and made sure no one was looking or in hearing range.

He'd probably have to kill anyone who was. Luckily for everyone, no one was paying attention to them. He looked back at Rachel, who was smiling at him.

"You want to get out of here?" He asked, standing up and offering her his hand.

Rachel took it, nodding as she stood up. "Yeah, but where do you want to go?"

He shrugged, not quite sure. His mom wouldn't be home yet, but he didn't want to take her back to his place this soon.

"You decide." He told her, hoping she would pick something fun or entertaining.

"Well we could practice." She said, but quickly added when he groaned, "Or we could watch a movie."

"At the theatre or your house?" He asked, though both had promise. Maybe he could cop a feel and maybe this time she would let him.

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Please let me know what you think! Thanks!


	4. Santana's Take on Things

Santana's Take on Things.

Okay this is from Santana's POV. Has some small mentions Matt/Santana, Brittney/Mike.

And of course, mentions of Puck/Rachel.

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I never really got the whole glee thing. Not until Quinn made me and Brittney join. Still, at first it was all about destroying this club of freaks and losers and making sure they knew their place. They were the bottom of the food chain and they needed to remember that.

Especially that Berry freak, throwing herself all over Quinn's boyfriend.

So we were forced into joining glee by our "majestic" queen bee cheerleader captain. Quinn was a pain in the ass sometimes but that was expected. She was head bitch after all and we all tried to follow in her lead. Though I was known for being pretty bitchy myself. But that's expected since I'm practically her right hand on the squad.

But not the point. So we were forced into joining the glee freaks and we so protested that but then Quinn threatened or spots on the spa day coming up and we gave in. Then after try outs both Brittney and I were sure that Coach Sylvester would put a stop to Quinn's brain fart and make us quit the glee club.

Wrong.

Instead she praised us and that kind of made it worth it. Cause Coach Sylvester is pretty scary. Getting on her good side is pretty damn hard but if you can do it, well, she's more likely to torture someone else then you. So we went along with it. But breaking up this little group of ground grubbers is harder then we thought it was going to be. They kept coming back and getting stronger. It was like some super freaky cockroach or something.

No matter how hard you try to stomp it dead it just skitters around and keeps coming. It's enough to make you scream. And I did scream a couple of times. Just away from everyone else. Can't let anyone see me loosing it. I already get enough crazy comments because of how I dumped Puck.

Was it really my fault his social security number was that easy to get a hold of? So what if he never left it out in the open and I had to go through some of his things. I'm a girl, and guys should expect that from us. We do crazy things all the time, most of the time they never know about it. But when they do find out they aren't supposed to be all that surprised. It's part of our jeans or something.

Duh.

Besides, who didn't see that break up coming? Puck's hot, but he's not going anywhere fast and I'm getting out of this town if I have to do cartwheels and handoffs to do it.

Anyway, sidetracked again. After a couple of times we failed to destroy them Ms. Sylvester started punishing us. Taking away or tanning privileges, and that was just harsh - even if I probably really didn't need it cause it's not like I'm going to fade away - it was unnecessary. It made us want to crush them even more.

For a little while anyway.

Then something started happening. We've been having some fun. Mr. Schue is actually pretty nice and these freaks that we've tormented for years are being pretty nice and decent to us as well. They could have been rude or mean, we would have been, but they haven't. And they haven't treated Brittney and me like we're just Quinn's little lackeys. Like most of the school does. It's been kinda nice. Sure, they've been a little nicer to Brittney, but that's just cause she's not as much as a bitch as I am.

At first I wanted nothing to do with these gleeks. And now, I'm singing and dancing with them and I'm hoping less and less that I'll have to destroy them. Don't get me wrong, I so totally will if Coach Sylvester tells me too or comes up with a plan, but secretly I'm hoping that they somehow get through it. I'm still going to pass on what I know but I might not pass on everything, you know? I actually want to try to get to regional's. I think it might be fun.

But Coach Sylvester is scary, like I said earlier, and I'll go along with anything she has planned even if I sorta don't want to. She knows where I live, and I wouldn't put it past her to try something if I said no, and I like being on the Cheerios. I like being on the top of the school food chain. But it's mostly cause Coach Sylvester scares me. I know Brittney doesn't want to either and who can tell with Quinn these days. Her days on the squad aren't going to be much longer but I don't know how I feel about that. A month ago I probably would have been jumping for joy cause that would have meant I probably would have been the new captain but now I'm not so sure.

Brittney, Quinn, and I are becoming real friends. I'm actually starting to care a little bit. Before or friendship was only half real. If she had tripped I would have walked all over her to get what I wanted. Now I'd probably hesitate and see if she was okay first.

She what those Gleeks are doing to me? And worse, it's not just me but all of us. Quinn's still psycho and bitchy sometimes. A lot towards Berry and Finn but that's just cause of the whole eye sexing they keep having. Brittney's hanging out with some of them on her free time, and she can deny it all she wants but please, she did not dress that good before Kurt got a hold of her. It had been a good thing they only wore their uniforms to school.

Mike and Matt were cool too, and they were relaxing and becoming people instead of just those two guys on the team. In fact both Brittney and I are starting to notice them, and we're also flirting a little. I've claimed Matt and she's going after Mike. We're just waiting for them to ask us out so that they'll think it was all their idea.

But I think the biggest change is with Puck.

At first he was still the same bad boy jerk loser that for some reason attracts girls. It was the abs I swear. The boy has a mighty fine body and I wanted to get up close and personal with it. And now that the president of the chastity club is pregnant I'm not afraid to say that I'm no virgin. Please, someone as hot as me? I lost that ages ago. Berry was right about one thing. Girls do want it as badly as boys, we just make them work for it.

So at first he's still the same jerk we've all known for years and then suddenly he's changing. I don't know when it first started happening but I know when I suddenly noticed it. Sad to say, it wasn't a very subtle moment.

One moment I know him as the jerk and lima loser and the next he's singing to Rachel Berry. The look on my face can only be called shock and disbelief. One, he's singing to Rachel Berry, gleek head freak, two, he's actually really good, and three and the most shocking, he's actually smiling. Like an real honest to god smile.

I have never seen him smile. Not even when we were having sex. It was all baby this and baby that, but no smile, nothing. So seeing him smiling at her that way is just, well, it's eye opening. They have freaking changed us, all of us. It's becoming more and more obvious too, especially with this slushy war going on. (And if anyone comes near me with one of those things I will make sure they never have children and they all know it. Crazy comes in handy sometimes.)

But they do slushy Puck, and what I find surprising is that there isn't a trail of blood. He's not exactly known for his self control I was so expecting to find a group of injured guys when I heard he'd had his moment of slush.

But nothing. He let them go, and I heard Rachel helped clean him up and that was it.

Standing here in a group and staring up at the clock waiting for it to be 3:30 has never been more nerve racking. It's almost like having Sue standing over you when your having a bad day or the day after you pulled something, only a little less terrifying. I don't want this glee thing to be over. It may be changing me and everyone else but I'm starting to have more fun then I've ever had. And I'm also starting to make some real friends, even if I wont acknowledge them anywhere but in this room.

And I don't want Matt and Mike to let us down. We can maybe find or force another two guys into this club but four is going to be hard to do, and if Sue finds out we're trying to save glee and not destroy it she'll probably shove our pom-poms up our asses. Matt better not choose football over me, but if he doesn't choose football will he be popular enough to date me? There's a problem. If he chooses football over me I don't want him but if he chooses glee will I threaten my status to date him if he asks?

But when he walks in with Mike I'm too relieved to care. Me and Brittney run over to hug them and I'm thinking that if he does ask I'll say yes, even if all he is now is a gleek.

Damn them all, I'm growing. I'm not sure I like it. I might have to do something bitchy later to make up for it but right now I'm pretty happy.

We aren't really expecting anyone else, but we're hoping for it. We expect that the final person walking through that door will be Finn, but we're all so surprised when it's not and instead it's Puck.

I never thought I'd see the day when Puck picked Glee and a girl over football and popularity. He's changed, but we all have, and I'm starting to think it's a good thing. At least for him. He's been nicer the past few days, more relaxed. I think that has to do with Rachel, and as much as I don't want to admit this, I think they might be good for each other.

He's hugging her and said that he's staying in glee even if it means a slushy everyday and all of us can't help but awe over it. They are surprisingly cute together.

Then someone asks where Finn is and we find out he choose football. Well, he always was kind of dumb.

It shouldn't be too hard to convince one guy from the school to join the team right? Okay, they were probably going to have to threaten him, but it's not like they couldn't do that. But before we start breaking out the yearbook and start to circle it like it's lunch time and we're sharks, everything works itself out.

Finn comes back, the guys are allowed to play football again, and we're a glee team again. Only now Quinn is no longer a cheerleader. I'm not sure how to feel about that. Now Sue is going to be riding my ass and it's not a fun thing to think about, and you know, Quinn's hurting and all and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Do I still let her be seen with us or do I shun her? What is the protocol for a fall from grace like that? Quinn helped me out when I first joined the squad and she helped me be a better cheerleader, so I guess now isn't the time to just drop her. Besides, it'd be kinda awkward in glee and I'm not quitting unless Sue makes me. (Like I said, she knows where I sleep.)

So things are changing, and not just within us. Or all that crap. Glee isn't as terrible as I thought it would be, it's actually kinda nice. And we just got to slushy Mr. Schue and he let us, because of team bonding or whatever. You wont see me opening my mouth to say I haven't ever been slushied. But it's cool that we're all back to being a team.

Matt asked me out and I think Brittney's got a date with Mike so we're pretty happy with that. Quinn is sad, but she's still got us, the glee club, and Finn so she'll make it. And Puck's got Rachel. His arm is around her waist and they sit together and it's almost nauseating how much they are now around each other and constantly touching in little was and mostly it's all innocent touches. He's being a person I've never seen him be and if any of this is too much too fast for him he's not letting anyone know and it's all so damn cute that while I'd like to be throwing up in the nearest bathroom I kinda find it sweet.

Like I might have to go a little crazy on whoever tries to break them up or gives them problems, kind of sweet.

Hey, I've grown, I'm not so afraid to admit that. But I will so not be the only one who is growing and I will not let someone else interfere with it either. I think if Puck's with Miss Gleek Queen he might actually have a shot of getting out of here. She's already changed him, made him put more effort into getting her then I've ever seen him put into anything, and he's actually happy.

I may not have loved him or anything, but I did date him and we have a lot in common. We both want to get out of here like nothing else and don't come from the best of families. People would probably be calling me a crazy lima loser if I wasn't on the Cheerios and too afraid of me to say it. I'm not going to let anyone stop me from getting out of here and maybe I can help someone else escape too, someone I really didn't think was going to make it.

It'll be my good deed for the year. God knows I probably need the good karma.

But this doesn't mean I have to be nice to them, I can just help out without anyone knowing. Cause this crazy bitch thing? It kinda comes in handy.

* * *

Please review!


	5. BBQ, Pool, and Friends

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or put this on their alert lists! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"I don't feel comfortable with this." Rachel said while tugging at her top.

"You agreed to wear it, so you're going to. Besides you pull it off, and don't you want your man to see you looking hot?" Mercedes asked, crossing her arms and turning to look at her.

"T-T-T-totally."

"That's saying that I don't look hot normally." Rachel protested, crossing her arms.

"Normally you ain't in a bikini. I think he'll agree with me on this one." Mercedes told her.

Rachel sighed, dropping her arms. "You'd probably be right." She agreed looking down and pulling at the bikini bottoms nervously.

"Are you sure I look alright? I'm not used to showing this much. Wouldn't the one piece be better?" She asked hopefully, looking back up at the two girls.

Mercedes crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Tina shook her head.

"I think we need another opinion. Where's Kurt?" Rachel asked. She was pretty sure Kurt would agree that the one piece was better.

"Ain't gonna work white girl. But I'll call him in if it makes you feel better."

"Please do." Rachel said and crossed her arms. She looked at Tina who smiled.

"Y-you look great, R-Rachel."

"Thank you Tina, you look great as well. I'm just a little nervous. I haven't worn a bikini before. I've usually just stuck to a one piece." She said and Tina nodded.

* * *

"Puchel?" Finn suggested with a small smile. "It's Puck and Rachel smashed together!"

"I vote for Ruckus." Matt said, grinning. "I think it fits them better."

"Nope, Puckleberry. Has to be Puckleberry." Kurt said, crossing his arms.

"Puckleberry? That's adorable!" Brittney said, coming into the room.

"Exactly why we should be going with Ruckus! What do you think Puck will do to us when we call them something that can be taken as adorable?" Matt protested.

"The man has a point." Kurt said and sighed. There went his adorable name for them.

"Yeah, but we'll just hide behind Rachel. If we can get her to agree to it, or like it, then he wont do anything." Brittney told them all.

"That's a good point too. Anyone else notice how close those two are and how wrapped around each others finger they have the other one?" Kurt said.

"What?" Finn asked confused.

Kurt sighed. The boy was cute, but sometimes…

"Rachel would do almost anything for Puck and Puck would do almost anything for Rachel. It's almost scary. I'm pretty sure if they tried, the two of them could take over the world. If Rachel ever makes a plan for world domination, I'm jumping on that team. You've got her devious little mind and her drive and Puck's ruthlessness and his determination and the world is in trouble. I can so make up the uniforms for her army!" Kurt said.

Brittney and Matt started to laugh.

"Rachel isn't devious though." Finn told them, but he was smiling. "She's nice."

Kurt looked at him. Ah the naive. "Rachel is devious, and manipulative, and willing to do a lot to get her own way. She's just not usually evil about it. But if she ever did go evil then I'm joining her side cause I'm not going against an evil Rachel. There are a world full of frightening things but that's one of the worst!" Kurt said, then looked at Finn again.

"But that would probably never happen. Rachel is too nice to try. She's usually only that devious or evil when someone is hurting someone she cares about. She wont even defend herself, so world domination is probably not on her to-do before 30 list. Besides, they don't give Tony's out to people who try to take over the world." Kurt added, mostly for Finn's benefit.

"But if they did?" Brittney asked.

"If they gave her a Tony for it?" Kurt asked then snapped his fingers. "Like that. She would have us all under her thumb and coordinating our movements in seconds."

"Kurt!" Mercedes said, coming into the room. "Your fashion advice is needed. Our resident diva doesn't want to leave her room without your okay." She said, coming into the room and breaking up the conversation they were having.

"Ooh fun!" Kurt said and left the room. "I love make-over's!"

Mercedes was about to follow him when Finn called her name.

When she turned to look at them she noticed Finn and Matt exchange looks while Brittney just looked amused.

"What is it? I've gotta go convince wonder girl to leave her room and then I've got to make sure the music to this little party isn't all show tunes and old school."

"We were just wondering." Matt started and paused, looking at Finn.

Brittney sighed. "They want to know if you thought Rachel could take over the world if she wanted to."

Mercedes looked at them. "Are you crazy? Don't be giving that girl any ideas! One week! She could have it done in a week, and you know she would start with us. Minions to the diva, oh no. Don't be saying things like that where she can hear you!" Mercedes said and walked out shaking her head.

"Stupid boys are gonna be the end of the world."

* * *

The pool party was mostly just a BBQ with only the members of Glee present. Puck, Finn, Mike and Matt were cooking on Rachel's dad's old grill. Occasionally arguing over how it was supposed to be done while the others just hoped the food came out okay.

The girls, Artie, and Kurt, we're all sitting in the few tables and chairs around the patio. Quinn was sitting with Santana and Brittney but they were still pretty close to the rest of them so they occasionally joined into the conversation but mostly the three talked about other things.

Quinn, in her later months of pregnancy, refused to go swimming and only showed up when everyone promised they wouldn't make her try to swim or make her wear anything she was uncomfortable with. So she was in a dress and sweater.

Santana and Brittney were in their bikini's and both had skirts on. But thankfully not their cheerleading skirts. It was a nice and hot day out and they were talking advantage of it.

Tina and Mercedes were in tasteful and flattering one pieces, Mercedes with a sarong wrapped around her waist and Tina in shorts. Rachel had a summer dress over her bikini, not quite ready to let everyone see. Artie was in shorts and a tank top while Kurt was in what they assumed was a one piece woman's bathing suit and men's swimming shorts.

The guys were all dressed pretty similarly. Swimming trunks and either t-shirts or tank tops, or in Puck's case, shirtless.

"Hey! Let's play water volleyball!" Santana said, standing up and picking up the beach ball she had brought with her. She was tired of just sitting around waiting for the food. She wanted to have some fun.

Rounding up the others, but not the guys at the grill, she started shooing them towards the pool until Artie and Quinn were the only two left at the table. They shared a small grin and started to make conversation. All the members of glee had come a long way and all of them were mostly good friends now.

"Alright come on! Into the pool! Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina against Brittney, Me, and Rachel!" She said, and took off her skirt.

She tossed Matt a grin over he shoulder before she jumped into the pool with the beach ball.

Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes were the next ones in. Mercedes and Tina took off their shorts/sarong and stepped into the pool, heading over to the other side of the pool.

Brittney was helping Rachel connect the net they had to the poles on each side of the pool so that they could play. After they were both done she walked over to Rachel and smiled at her, she knew the other girl was nervous about wearing a bikini and decided that she would help her out.

"Ready? Come on. If you act like it's no big deal it wont be." Brittney told her in a whisper and Rachel smiled at her.

"Thanks." Rachel told her then took a small breath and pulled her dress off, so that she was left in the bikini.

"Dude! What the hell man! That one was supposed to be mine!" Matt protested as Puck dropped his hamburger patty on the ground.

Instead of saying anything or defending himself Puck was staring at something else and paying no attention to him.

"What?" Matt questioned, confused for a moment, until her looked up and saw Rachel standing with Brittney and both were in their bikini's. Grinning a little he decided he would forgive his friend. The first time he had seen Santana in her bikini he had had a similar reaction.

Instead he turned to look at Mike and Finn, who were still arguing over what was too burnt or not cooked enough. Nudging Mike to get his attention he nodded at Puck and smirked.

Mike and Finn both turned to look at their friend and both grinned.

"I've heard a picture last longer." Finn teased and Puck turned to look at him, finally snapping out of it. Probably because Rachel had just got into the pool and was now mostly out of sight.

"I've got a good memory." Puck said then grabbed a few new patties and hot dogs. "Move over man, we're cooking for everyone, not just you three."

Mike laughed. "You just want to get this over with so you can go _play_." He teased and then winced when Puck punched him in the arm. It wasn't too hard, but it was hard enough to hurt.

Puck smirked at him. "You telling me you don't want to go _play? _Your girl is over there in her bikini too. Let's get this done, boys, so we can eat and go play." He told them and they all turned back to the grill, and this time they didn't argue about what was the right way to grill.

Rachel, Brittney, and Santana's team was winning when they took a break so they could eat. They were up by two points but neither team really cared too much about the score, only that they were having fun.

As soon as Rachel came close enough to him Puck picked her up from behind and held her to him. She squealed in shock but soon relaxed when she realized who it was behind her.

"Noah!" She protested, laughing at him as she tried to turn around. After a moment of watching her struggle he finally helped her and soon she was almost face to face with him.

"Cute suit." He said, smirking down at her as he looked her over again.

Rachel refused to squirm, even though she really wanted to, instead she lifted her chin and looked him in the eyes. "Yeah? They made me wear it. I wanted to go with the one piece but they wouldn't let me. Mercedes said if I tried she'd burn it before I could touch it."

Puck kissed her quickly before pulling back. She wouldn't want this to turn into a make-out session right in front of their friends so he kept it brief so he couldn't tempt either one of them.

"Remind me to thank her. You look hot." He told her and grinned when she smacked him on the arm.

"Noah!" She protested, then smiled. "Thank you though. That's very nice to hear." she added then wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face to hers. They kissed quickly and pretty chastely for them before they pulled apart. They were ignoring their friends but they could still hear them and knew they were there. Neither of them wanted to give them a show.

* * *

"Puckleberry. That's all there is to it." Kurt said.

Everyone was either grabbing food or sitting down at the table starting to eat but most of them were watching the couple, and most of them found the two adorable. A year ago none of them would have thought they would be at Rachel's house having a glee club BBQ, let alone be friends or being able to say Puck and adorable in the same sentence.

"I still vote for Puchel." Finn said, carrying over two plates full of food. He handed one to Quinn and she smiled up at him before setting her attention on the food. She was eating for two, which was the reason her plate rivaled her boyfriends.

"Ruckus!" Matt protested as he grabbed the mustard.

"Honestly? I don't think we're going to be able to call any of the nicknames to their face, so why are we trying to give them a nickname?" Quinn asked, looking up from her food.

"Because we think it's fun?" Artie joined in.

"Why don't we have a nickname?" Finn asked, looking at Quinn.

"It's kind of pointless, since our names are so close sounding anyway. We can't really mash your name and mine together, we'll just get mine."

"Your nickname is Quinn-and-Finn." Kurt said shrugging. "It's cute, it works, and it's not confusing."

"You do realize we can hear you right?" Puck asked as he let Rachel down and they moved over to the table where all the food was.

"N-Nope. Didn't rea-realize that." Tina said.

"I think Puckleberry is adorable." Rachel said as she sat down at the table.

"I don't." Puck said, sitting down next to her and glaring at the guys. "So don't call me that."

"What about Ruckus?" Matt asked.

"Why are you trying to give us a nickname?" Puck asked as he bit into his hamburger.

"Because you're together enough that we think you could be considered one person. So you needed a name. Besides, it was fun trying to think of a name." Kurt said.

"You should have heard some of their earlier combos." Santana said, sitting next to Matt. "I think Ruck and Puch were considered." She told them and started digging into the potato salad and fruit she had picked for herself.

"Okay, you guys are weird." Puck said shaking his head and putting his arm across the back of Rachel's chair. They exchanged glances before realizing that they weren't helping their case and turned to look at the others.

"Okay well, we could always talk about regional's." Rachel said, changing the subject.

Everyone else groaned.

"No, no way! We agreed. No talk about regional's today." Mercedes said.

"Right. Today is just a day that we spend with friends." Finn said.

They all exchanged glances and smiles.

"To friends." Artie started, holding up his cup.

"To friends." The rest said holding up their cups and then they all started laughing.

* * *

Later that night after everyone had gone home Rachel was finishing the clean up. Most of the others had helped out earlier so it was almost done, but she wanted everything to be back to normal for when her dads got home.

"Outside is done." Puck said, coming inside. He had just taken the trash out and double checked outside and now he was done.

Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head as she finished washing the dishes.

"Good. I'm done here too." She said, putting the last dish on the rack to dry. Turning around in his arms she rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Tired?" Puck asked her.

Rachel nodded. "I had fun though. I'm even glad they made me wear that bathing suit. The look on your face was kind of worth it." She teased, smiling even though he couldn't see it.

"That bikini rocked. Rach, you looked hot. Wanna put it on again?" Puck asked pulling back so he could wiggle his eyebrows at her and grin.

Rachel shook her head and leaned up to kiss him. "Maybe some other time. Right now there isn't enough time. My dads will be home soon and I don't think we'll be paying attention if I change." Rachel said.

Puck pulled her closer and leaned down and kissed her, turning so that he was leaning back against the counter. When he got tired of leaning down he moved his hands from her waist to her ass to lift her up against him so they were about the same height.

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck, and moved her legs so that her knees were by his waist, making it easier for him. They both pulled away when his cell phone rang.

"Damnit." Puck cursed, letting Rachel down gently and grabbing his phone. He checked the id, before answering.

"Hey Mom." He answered.

Rachel watched him as he talked to his mom, a small smile on her face. Puck looked at her for a moment, sending her a smile before turning his attention back to his mom.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Love you mom." He said and hung up. Turning around he looked at Rachel.

"I've gotta get going. Mom needs me to pick up a couple things from the store." He said walking over to her.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow?" Rachel asked, leaning forward and hugging him.

"Yeah, I'll come by about noon. I've got a few things I've got to finish first. Maybe we can go swimming." Puck said, leaning down and resting his forehead against hers.

"Maybe." Rachel said, smiling. She was pretty sure she could be easily talked into that.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said, kissing him. He kissed her back then pulled back.

"I'll see you tomorrow Rach." Puck told her and she walked him to the door.

As she watched him get into his truck she couldn't help but smile. She was pretty sure tomorrow would be pretty interesting.

* * *

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